x/mobile: time.LoadLocation(): zoneinfo.zip: no such file or directory

[pierrre]

What version of Go are you using (go version)?
1.5.2

What operating system and processor architecture are you using?
Nexus 6P

What did you do?

    loc, err := time.LoadLocation("GMT")
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    fmt.Println(loc)

What did you expect to see?
GMT

What did you see instead?
panic: open /home/pierre/.gimme/versions/go1.5.2.src/lib/time/zoneinfo.zip: no such file or directory

[rsc]

/cc @crawshaw @hyangah

[bfallik]

I'm hitting this panic using go 1.6.0 beta 2.

[pierrre]

I also encountered the same problem with a "stratch" Docker image (not related to x/mobile).
The zoneinfo.zip file was missing. More info here: https://golang.org/pkg/time/#LoadLocation
It's easy to solve on Docker:

• add zoneinfo.zip in the image (copy from $GOROOT/lib/time/zoneinfo.zip)
• set the ZONEINFO env variable

But I don't know how to do that with x/mobile.
The list of scanned directories is: https://golang.org/src/time/zoneinfo_unix.go#L31
They don't exist on a mobile phone.
Can we embed zoneinfo.zip in the application package and override the ZONEINFO env variable with x/mobile?

[hyangah]

In android zoneinfo file is located in a different location, and moreover, it's in a format that we currently don't support yet (as hinted in cl/10299). Does anyone know where to find the spec of this format?

One can embed zoneinfo.zip file as an asset, but setting ZONEINFO env var seems tricky because afaik asset cannot be accessed through file path like a regular file, and reading of ZONEINFO env var happens pretty early (see src/time/zoneinfo.go).

[bfallik]

My encounter was also inside a minimal Docker image so not related to x/mobile. Sorry for the noise but thanks for the tips on how I can address this.

[pierrre]

Thank you!